NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - MONTREAL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 1 CHICAGO CUBS 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0 x 6 9 1 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: MON - JAVIER VAZQUEZ, MIGUEL BATISTA (6TH), SHAYNE BENNETT (7TH) AND CHRIS WIDGER CHN - STEVE TRACHSEL, MARC PISCIOTTA (8TH), ROD BECK (9TH) AND SCOTT SERVAIS
WP - STEVE TRACHSEL (1-0) LP - JAVIER VAZQUEZ (0-1) SAVE - ROD BECK (2)
HOME RUNS: MON - NONE CHN - NONE
TIME: 2:58 ATT: 39,102
PROBABLES: MON - MARC VALDES (NR) CHN - TERRY MULHOLLAND (0-0, 0.00)
Box ScoreMONTREAL (2) AT CHICAGO CUBS (6) - FINAL
MONTREAL ab r h rbi bb so lob avg Grudzielanek ss 5 0 2 0 0 0 4 .231 Vidro 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 V Guerrero rf 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 .333 Stovall pr-rf 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Fullmer 1b 3 0 2 1 1 0 0 .455 R White lf 4 0 0 1 0 2 4 .364 De May lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Livingstone 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 Santangelo cf 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .083 Widger c 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .100 Vazquez p 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000 M Batista p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Mcguire ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Andrews ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .125
Totals 33 2 6 2 3 7 13
a-walked for M Batista in the 7th; b-hit into fielder's choice for Bennett in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - Grudzielanek (1, Trachsel); Fullmer (2, Pisciotta). 3B - V Guerrero (1, Trachsel). RBI - Fullmer (1), R White (2). 2-out RBI - Fullmer. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - V Guerrero 1, R White 1, Grudzielanek 1, Livingstone 1. GIDP - Grudzielanek. Team LOB - 8.
FIELDING: E - Grudzielanek (1, throw). DP: 1 (M Batista-Widger-Fullmer).
CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg L Johnson cf 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 .167 Morandini 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 .235 Sosa rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .278 Ma Grace 1b 2 2 1 0 2 0 1 .231 H Rodriguez lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .286 Mieske pr-lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Blauser ss 2 1 1 1 1 0 2 .385 Orie 3b 3 2 1 0 0 0 3 .438 Servais c 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 .200 Trachsel p 3 0 2 3 0 0 3 .667 Pisciotta p 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 Beck p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 30 6 9 5 6 2 17
BATTING: 2B - Servais (2, Vazquez). SF - Blauser. RBI - Servais (3), Trachsel 3 (3), Blauser (3). 2-out RBI - Servais, Trachsel 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Trachsel 2, Morandini 1. GIDP - Servais. Team LOB - 8.
BASERUNNING: SB - Ma Grace (1, 2nd base off Vazquez/Widger). CS - Sosa (1, 2nd base by Vazquez/Widger).
FIELDING: E - Sosa (2, fly ball). DP: 1 (Beck-Blauser-Ma Grace).
-------------------------------------------------- Montreal - 100 000 010 -- 2 Chicago Cubs - 000 302 10X -- 6
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MONTREAL ip h r er bb so hr era Vazquez (L, 0-1) 5 6 3 3 2 1 0 5.40 M Batista 1 1 2 2 3 1 0 18.00 Bennett 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 7.71
CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era Trachsel (W, 1-0) 7 1/3 4 2 2 2 7 0 2.45 Pisciotta 2/3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Beck (S, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.00
Pisciotta pitched to 2 batters in the 9th.
HBP - Orie (by M Batista); V Guerrero (by Trachsel). Pitches-strikes: Trachsel 110-72; Pisciotta 23-15; Beck 4-3; Vazquez 83-51; M Batista 30-15; Bennett 43-25. Ground balls-fly balls: Trachsel 10-5; Pisciotta 2-0; Beck 3-0; Vazquez 4-9; M Batista 2-0; Bennett 4-2. Batters faced: Trachsel 30; Pisciotta 5; Beck 2; Vazquez 22; M Batista 7; Bennett 9.
UMPIRES: HP--Rich Rieker. 1B--Sam Holbrook. 2B--Harry Wendelstedt. 3B-- Jerry Layne. T--2:58. Att--39,102. Weather: 42 degrees, overcast. Wind: 18 mph, in from left.
ScoreboardMONTREAL (2) AT CHICAGO CUBS (6) - HOW THEY SCORED
MONTREAL 1ST: Grudzielanek flied out to shallow right. Vidro grounded out to shortstop. V Guerrero tripled to deep left. Fullmer singled to shallow center, V Guerrero scored. R White struck out looking. MONTREAL 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0.
CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: Ma Grace singled to center. H Rodriguez flied out to shallow left. Ma Grace stole second. Blauser flied out to center. Orie reached on infield single, Ma Grace to third. Ma Grace scored on shortstop Grudzielanek's throwing error. Servais doubled to center, Orie scored. Trachsel singled to center, Servais scored. L Johnson grounded out to first. MONTREAL 1, CHICAGO CUBS 3.
CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: Miguel Batista relieved Javier Vazquez. H Rodriguez walked. Blauser walked, H Rodriguez to second. Orie hit by pitch, H Rodriguez to third, Blauser to second. Servais grounded into double play, pitcher to catcher to first, H Rodriguez out at home, Blauser to third, Orie to second. Trachsel singled to right, Blauser and Orie scored. L Johnson walked, Trachsel to second. Morandini struck out looking. MONTREAL 1, CHICAGO CUBS 5.
CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: Shayne Bennett relieved Miguel Batista. Sosa grounded out to third. Ma Grace walked. H Rodriguez singled to right, Ma Grace to third. Mieske ran for H Rodriguez. Blauser hit sacrifice fly to center, Ma Grace scored. Orie flied out to deep left. MONTREAL 1, CHICAGO CUBS 6.
MONTREAL 8TH: Vidro struck out looking. V Guerrero hit by pitch. Marc Pisciotta relieved Steve Trachsel. Stovall ran for V Guerrero. Fullmer doubled to right, Stovall to third. R White grounded out to third, Stovall scored. Livingstone grounded out to first. MONTREAL 2, CHICAGO CUBS 6.
Game RecapSteve Trachsel drove in three runs while allowing just two over 7 2/3 innings as the Chicago Cubs won their home opener and posted their third straight victory, 6-2 over the Montreal Expos.
Trachsel (1-0) had an RBI single in the fourth that gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead, then added two-run single in the sixth to break open the game. On the mound, the right-hander yielded just four hits while walking two and striking out seven.
"It really is a nice way to bring in the season at home," said Cubs manager Jim Riggelman. "The fans were excited about it. They have been so great, we owe it to them. We have to win some ballgames for these people."
It was Trachsel's fifth-career two-hit game and his first with two RBI. He became the first Cubs pitcher to drive in two runs in a game since Kevin Foster did it on September 11th, 1995. Trachsel was the only Cub with more than one hit.
"I'll take a game like this any day," said Trachsel. "I don't know what my pitch count total was but I was throwing the ball pretty well and as long as your doing that, you will get a chance to go out there."
Rod Beck came on in the ninth with runners at first and second and got pinch-hitter Shane Andrews to hit into a force play before inducing Mark Grudzielanek to bounce into a game-ending double play. Beck threw just four pitches to earn his second save in as many days.
Chicago won as many as three straight games just four times last season.
Rookie Brad Fullmer had two hits and an RBI for the Expos, who remain one of just three National League teams without a victory. Los Angeles and expansion Arizona are the NL's other winless teams.
"He (Fullmer) is quite a man," said Expos manager Felipe Alou. It's not an accident I put him to be the cleanup guy the first day of spring training. It's not so much the batter as the man inside the uniform."
Montreal's Javier Vazquez (0-1), a 21-year-old right-hander, surrendered three runs and six hits over five innings in his major-league debut.
The Expos took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out rally as Vladimir Guerrero tripled and scored on a single by Fullmer.
But the Cubs took command with three runs in the fourth. Mark Grace singled to center, stole second and scored when shortstop Grudzielanek made a throwing error on Kevin Orie's infield hit. Scott Servais' double to center scored Orie and Trachsel followed with a line drive to center for a two-run lead.
"That (0-3 start) is something you have to deal with," said Grudzielanek. We've got some good young hitters on this club and a good staff. We should win some ballgames."
Trachsel's two-run single in the sixth, a check-swing looper over first baseman Fullmer's head, scored Orie and Jeff Blauser for a 5-1 lead. Blauser added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
"There is no comparison to Wrigley Field and the atmosphere here," said Blauser. "It's a great place to play. Anybody who is a baseball fan should come here and see a game."
Rondell White drove in Montreal's final run with a groundout in the eighth.
"Let's keep on doing it," aded Blauser on the Cubs start. Let's go out and play. If we win three out of four every time, that's a pretty darn good winning percentage and you are going to find yourself at the top of the standings if you keep that pace up."
Dutchie Caray sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch to honor her late husband, long-time Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray. Women's hockey gold medalists Cammi Granato and Sarah Tueting threw out the first ball.